Welcome to the Offseason

The ultimate irony in week seventeen of the National Football League season is that the Steelers, seemingly, had to cheer for the Raiders and Chiefs ~ two of the worst teams in the NFL who both defeated Pittsburgh ~ to win their games. As now we know, the Raiders were simply not up to the task.

As things stand right now (i.e. prior to kickoff of the Bengals vs. Jets) it appears will have the 19th 18th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Will there be someone there who will shore up their secondary? An impact offensive lineman? Only time will tell.

Also, as the 2009 regular season ends it is not too early to look forward to the 2010 regular season. The home schedule will have the Steelers divisional opponents (Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland) and New England, the Jets, Atlanta, Carolina, and Oakland. An early look at those opponents reveals:

• The Steelers are 1-3 in their last four games versus New England.


• The Steelers have never lost at home to the Jets.


• The Steelers have lost their last two games against Oakland.

The away schedule features those same divisional opponents and Buffalo, Miami, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Tennessee. A quick look at the away games reveals:

• The Steelers have not lost a regular season game in Buffalo since 1999.


• The Steelers have not lost a regular season game to the Dolphins since 1998.


• The last time Pittsburgh visited New Orleans was in 2002 ~ a game the Steelers lost 29-32.


• The Steelers are 4-1 all-time at Tampa.


• The Steelers had better win a lot of other games in 2010 because in the last ten seasons the they are 1-5 at Tennessee.

It will be fun to see what happens between now and the first kickoff of 2010.